When the economy goes down, library use goes up, and people feeling the pinch across Central Minnesota are using library services in record numbers. Almost all areas of activity have increased.
January circulation (the measure of how many times items are checked out) increased 12 percent between 2008 and 2009 in Great River Regional Library (GRRL), which operates 32 public libraries in Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright Counties. The number of library cardholders also increased. From 2007 to 2008, registrations increased 7.3 percent to 124,884.
It’s a national phenomenon. News reports have highlighted increases at libraries from New York to Seattle and Los Angeles.
In St. Cloud, first-time checkouts increased 73 percent for February compared to the same period last year. First time checkouts are completed at the desk, not via the Internet or phone, so they represent real interactions between staff and public. St. Cloud’s increase wasn’t the only one. Pierz was up 30 percent, Big Lake up 20 percent, Eagle Bend up 19 percent, Melrose up 18 percent and Rockford up 12 percent.
“Those figures don’t show the totality of how library use has increased, but they are solid indicators,” said Kirsty Smith, GRRL director. “Many of our libraries are seeing circulation increases. They are also seeing increased use of their computers and more people visiting to browse the collections. One thing the numbers don’t show is how much additional work is generated.”
When people request items from other libraries within the system, those items have to be taken from the shelves, scanned, packed, delivered, unpacked, and scanned again, in order to be ready for pick up. “It’s a labor intensive process,” Smith said.
During difficult financial times, people cut back on entertainment and turn to the public library for entertainment resources. They also turn to the library for help acquiring new knowledge and skills. “Our computers are constantly busy. People are doing job searches, completing resumes, trying to make connections.” The increased business puts demands on front-line staff, but governmental funding agencies aren’t in any position to respond. “We are mainly publicly funded, so we’re in a Catch-22 situation. When the economy goes south libraries get busier, but the funding gets tighter,” she said.
Library use has climbed steadily over the last five years. Circulation grew from 2,901,555 in 2004 to 3,559,342 in 2008, an increase of approximately 23 percent over five years.
Another noteworthy trend on the national scene is that for the first time in a quarter-century, Americans are reading more literature. According to a January, 2009 study by the National Endowment for the Arts, the number of readers of novels, short stories, poems or plays in print or online increased from 47 percent of the population in 2002 to 50 percent of the population in 2008 — an increase of 16.6 million people. An increase in reading was especially pronounced among the 18 to 24-year-old group, from 43 percent of the population in 2002 to 52 percent in 2008.
“We’ll be here for them,” Smith said. “We’re not going away. But these are interesting times.”